


Mistletoe Masquerade

by Kittenshift17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Masquerade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-12-04 13:36:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11556282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenshift17/pseuds/Kittenshift17
Summary: Hermione Granger receives a strange and beautiful gift anonymously, and is swept off her feet at the Ministry's staff Masquerade Christmas Ball. Caught beneath the mistletoe, Hermione finds herself snogging an incredibly intoxicating young man, only to be shocked when she learns with whom she had been locking lips.





	1. Under the Mistletoe

****

**MISTLETOE MASQUERADE**

* * *

 

Hermione Granger was grumpy when she got home. She'd had a particularly long day at her office, most of which was spent arguing with the rest of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures about the idea that all werewolves should be forced to re-register with the department so that they could be kept track of since there had been some issues recently over in Canada where wolf attacks were being blamed on werewolves and the Ministry in Britain was trying to avoid such issues here.

It had put her in a bad mood, and the idea of having to go the work Christmas party that evening made her want to hex someone. Everyone was going of course, so there was no way she could get out of it and Ginny would be arriving with Harry to pick her up at eight, which was precisely two hours from now. Hermione scowled at her clock before stripping and heading for the shower.

An hour later, Hermione peered at her reflection wanting to wrinkle her nose in disgust with herself. She'd already tried on seven different dresses and was having absolutely no luck in finding something flattering to wear this evening. Everything made her look too fat or too pale, too scrawny or too washed out. It was a nightmare.

Just as she was reaching for the eighth and final formal dress she owned, knowing in her heart that it wouldn't do at all since it was a gaudy shade of orange, something she'd been given as a gift a few years ago from one of her grandparents and had never had the heart to give away, nor the sense of self-loathing to wear, Hermione heard an urgent tapping at her window. Wondering what it could be, she wrapped her dressing gown around herself and went to the window, throwing it wide in surprise when she saw two eagle owls hovering there holding a large box between them.

They immediately swooped inside and dropped the box on her bed, both of them hooting at her a little indignantly before swooping right back out the window as though she had offended them. Shaking her head, Hermione closed the window behind them and walked swiftly across her bedroom to see what she'd been sent. Such a large parcel was unusual but as Hermione came across it she felt her curiosity pique.

It was a white clothing box with an expensive wizarding brand scrawled across it. Excitedly lifting the lid, Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. Inside was the most beautiful gown she'd ever laid eyes on, and given that she had been working at the Ministry for almost seven years, surrounded by people who dressed exquisitely, that was saying something.

The gown was backless, with an elegant sweet heart halter-neck and full princess skirt. It was a rich shade of black, decorated with intricate flower-design lacework over the bodice that emphasised her hourglass figure and modest breasts. Slipping it on, Hermione gasped as the silk lining caressing her skin. Included in the box were a pair of graceful black heels, and a black and white lace eye-mask decorated with an emerald green feather, keeping with the masquerade theme of the evening.

When she looked in the mirror, Hermione felt feminie and beautiful in an exotic sort of way, for the first time feeling as though tonight she would be one of the women that was stared at enviously by others. She styled her hair in a simple, elegant side pony-tail, leaving her curls long and sleek to hang down over her shoulder.

Searching through the box this marvellous gift had come in, Hermione found a note. It was written in unfamiliar, loopy handwriting.

_**Just in case.** _

Was all it said. It wasn't signed by anyone, and Hermione felt her curiosity pique even further. Who would possibly know exactly her size and style so well as to purchase this for her, and yet not take the credit for it. The only person that familiar with her body was Ron, but she and Ron hadn't worked out and so Hermione doubted he would send her such a gift. Besides, he'd gone on to marry a lovely young woman named Scarlett.

Ginny and Harry surely wouldn't give her such a gift without claiming the credit, and Hermione didn't really have anyone else in her life that would give her such an expensive and delightful gift.

"Hermione are you ready? We need to be on our way" Ginny Weasley's voice called from her living room.

"Ok, I'm on my way now," Hermione called back to her, noticing suddenly that there was more to her parcel as she pulled out a little clutch purse that matched her dress perfectly. Tucking her money, some lip gloss and her wand inside it, Hermione left her bedroom.

"Oh my!" Ginny gasped when she caught sight of Hermione. "You look absolutely stunning Hermione!"

"Thank you, you look beautiful as well, Ginny," Hermione complimented her best friend. Harry was too busy staring at her with his mouth open in surprise to compliment her.

"Should we be on our way then? We're going to be late" Hermione said uncomfortably when both of her friends kept on staring at her.

"Oh, yes, yes we should," Harry said, finally regaining his sense, "You look beautiful, 'Mione."

Moving towards the couple, Hermione clasped Harry's arm and let him apparate her to Ministry. The room was beautifully decorated, and almost immediately a masked waiter in a tuxedo approached them, offering them champagne and firewhiskey. Hermione held her champagne loosely, looking around at the sea of people already at the party. She felt a little uncomfortable in her fancy gown, but soon forgot about her nervousness as she was drawn into conversation with Harry, Ginny, Ron, Scarlett, Neville and Seamus.

Two hours later, Hermione was on her way back from the lavatory when she stopped in a doorway, scanning the crowd for her friends or colleagues and hoping to get hold of another drink. She was so caught up in her search that she did not notice the way she was perfectly situated under a large bush of mistletoe. She also didn't notice the man in black dress robes complimented by silver and a mask that hid his identity very well indeed, who happened to have been standing by the door, waiting for her return.

Hermione was startled when she felt someone's cool fingers grip her hand in a gentle yet firm grip.

"I was hoping I'd catch you under the mistletoe tonight," a rich, deep voice murmured in her ear. "I waited here for you, just in case."

Before Hermione was entirely aware of what was happening, and before she could get a look at the man speaking to her, she found herself begin turned and then pulled against a firm masculine body. Cool fingers caressed the bare skin of her back deliciously and before she could even think to protest, silky soft lips met hers.

At first Hermione was too shocked to respond to the warm lips that moved against hers so skilfully, but after a moment she came to her senses, and knowing it was wrong but feeling strangely intoxicated and spontaneous, Hermione kissed him back hungrily. She felt him smirk against her lips as she responded and breathed in his warm, crisp scent of pine needles and freshly mown grass. When his tongue swept against the seam of her lips in askance, Hermione slowly let them part, allowing him entrance. With her eyes closed tightly, Hermione felt her stomach swooping with excitement and pleasure as his tongue dipped in to stroke hers tenderly. He tasted like a strange combination of spearmint toothpaste and whiskey.

Her heart began to race as his cool hands pressed her body intimately against his, making Hermione forget about everything but the way he was making her feel with the most incredibly intoxicating kiss she had ever been given. She forgot all about the fact that she was in the middle of a staff Christmas ball, and that she had no idea who she was snogging. Instead Hermione completely surrendering to the way this mystery man was sweeping her completely off her feet. Her hands came up to tangle in silky soft hair and she almost didn't notice the little whimper of pleasure he elicited from her, a sound he swallowed hungrily as he kissed her in such a way that made her feel as though he hungered to devour her body and soul and claim her completely as his for all of time.

She didn't even know who she was snogging, all Hermione knew was that she had never been kissed this way before and that she never wanted to stop snogging this man. The feel of his hard warm body pressed against hers made her long for something more than such an intoxicating kiss. Hermione lost track of time as she snogged the sinfully skilled stranger beneath the mistletoe, forgetting about everything else but how it felt to be kissed and touched again.

Ever so slowly, he began to pull back, kissing her lips for a few moments more, before resting his forehead gently against hers.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open slowly and she felt as though she was coming out of a trance. Slowly she became aware of the giggling and chatter around them, and of the way his cool fingers gripped her lower back firmly. Her body was moulded against his form in a way that she ought to be embarrassed about but Hermione didn't really care at that moment. Slowly she lifted her gaze to meet his through the confines of their masks. Grey eyes darkened with lust met hers and Hermione felt herself smiling dreamily, feeling lighter than air in his embrace.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," he murmured to her, voice low and husky with desire, causing Hermione's body to react to him even more than it already had.

"No one has ever kissed me like that," Hermione whispered back to him, bringing her finger down to trace the shape of his soft lips lightly. He smirked at her words and Hermione slowly leant away from him, trying to see who it was that had snogged her so hungrily. Before she could, one of his hands trailed all the way up her back until his arm could hold her captive against his chest and he lowered his lips to hers a second time.

Hermione forgot all about trying to find out who he was as she was once again swept up in the intoxicating magic of his kiss and when they came up for air she knew she was breathing hard with feeling.

"Who are you?" Hermione breathed to him trying to get her thoughts back in order after he'd scrambled them so completely. He smirked again, reminding Hermione of someone though she couldn't put her finger on whom.

"I'll give you three guesses, Granger," the stranger replied and Hermione slowly pulled out of his embrace, though not completely since he kept his hands on her lower back possessively, seeming to enjoy the fell of her skin beneath his finger since he kept trailing them there lightly.

His mask completely hid his identity. She couldn't even see any of his hair, only his eyes, which were dancing with lust and amusement as she tried to figure out who he was. His low, husky voice was echoing inside her mind and some niggling thought kept trying to form, trying to fill the rest of her snog addled brain with the information pertaining to his identity.

"I honestly have no idea, though you clearly know me," Hermione told him apologetically, earning herself another highly familiar smirk.

"I'm glad you decided to wear the dress, Granger," he said to her and a very familiar voice. Staring into his eyes and looking at his smirk with his low, cruel-edged voice resonating through her mind, Hermione felt her blood run cold so painfully that she might have stuck ice shards into them less invasively.

"Malfoy?" Hermione demanded, attempting to pull out of his embrace and finding herself suddenly trapped.

"I should've known you'd get the answer right on the first go" he told her, looking amused by her surprise and mounting horror.

She had just snogged Draco bloody Malfoy! In front of everyone! Twice! Hermione felt like maybe she was going to scream, a little like she wanted to punch him and a lot like she wanted to snog him all over again.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? Get your hands off me!" Hermione hissed, trying to pull away from him unsuccessfully whilst trying to ignore the intoxicating scent of his cologne.

"Is that really what you want, Granger?" Malfoy drawled at her, his voice still a little husky from their snogging, while his hands gripped her lower back in such a possessive, intimate hold, pressing her body against the length of his. She was having a hard time keeping her focus on trying to pull away from the man who had once been her school-yard rival, when everything about him was luring her in and making her want to forget all about the reasons she wasn't supposed to have ever snogged him and wasn't supposed to want to do more than snog him again.

"What do you think you're doing snogging me, Malfoy?" Hermione hissed at him, realising they were making somewhat of a scene. She slowly stopped fighting to get out of his embrace, though her hands still pressed firmly against his chest as she glared daggers at him.

"What do you expect when you come in here looking like that and standing around beneath the mistletoe, Granger?" He asked her sarcastically "Besides, we both know you enjoyed snogging me, and I know you want to do it again."

"Even if I was standing under mistletoe naked, in what world would someone like you ever willingly snog someone like me?" she hissed at him. The smile that crept across his face could only be described as wicked.

"I think you and I had better take a little walk, Granger" He told her, his voice soft and husky, his eyes fixed on her half-concealed face.

"Why would I want to go anywhere with you?" she snapped nastily, not trusting herself to leave such a public place and go anywhere more private with Draco Malfoy, and not entirely trusting him either.

"Because I don't want you to faint in here and make a big scene," he told her before using his grip on her body to steer her back through the doors leading to a deserted corridor.

"What are playing at, Malfoy?" Hermione demanded of him, trying to get away from him and finding that he had interlaced his fingers with hers on her left hand, while his free hand rested possessively against her back, guiding her along and seeming to keep her hostage at the same time.

"Are you always this demanding?" he asked her sarcastically.

"I am when people who hate me decide it might be fun to snog me in front of the entire Ministry."

"Embarrassed to be seen with me, Granger?" he asked her, this time sounding sarcastic as though he believed no one in their right mind would ever be embarrassed to be associated with him.

"More like confused. Why did you snog me, Malfoy?" Hermione asked him seriously, giving in to the sensation of his fingers tracing feathery patterns against her skin and letting him walk her backwards towards the wall until he had her pressed against it.

"You were standing under the mistletoe" he replied, seeming to approve of her surrender and not letting go of the hand he was holding.

"You were lying in wait," Hermione accused. Malfoy nodded with a small smile as though she amused him. "Why?"

"I wanted to snog you," he said simply, making her sense of reality tilt dizzily on its axis.

"Why?"

This time he gave a low chuckle. "Because I fancy you Granger, and I'm tired of waiting around for you to realise it on your own."

"What are you talking about Malfoy?" Hermione asked him, peering up at him with a frown now.

"You heard me," he replied softly. "I fancy you. I have for a while, and it's my New Year's resolution to act on it. I will win your heart, Hermione."

Hermione shivered as goose pimples raced across her skin to hear Draco Malfoy use her first name and felt dizzy to have him tell her that he fancied her so much that he'd plotted to snog her beneath the mistletoe and intended to try courting her. Sudden realisation hit her and she looked down at the outfit she'd been sent today.

"You bought me this outfit," she accused of him, glaring into his eyes at the idea of him thinking he could dress her up like some little doll.

"You had a bad day and I knew that if you didn't have something beautiful to wear you wouldn't come to the ball. Then how would I catch you under the mistletoe?" he grinned at her proudly.

"Why you cunning little…" Hermione breathed. "Have you gone mad? Since when does the most renowned pureblood in Britain fancy the lowly mudblood he tormented at Hogwarts?"

Malfoy shrugged at her. "Since the Aurors locked my parents in Azkaban and I was allowed to feel whatever I wanted to feel, for a change."

"And it took you almost seven years to fess up?" Hermione giggled, making her think that she might've had too much champagne if she was giggling about Draco Malfoy fancying her instead of panicking.

"Courage was for you Gryffindors, Hermione. Cunning is my forte. Besides, you were too dense to work out that it was me leaving you hot chocolates all these years," he told her.

"You leave those?" she demanded. She had though Ron left them for her while they were dating, and that he'd never stopped. Every morning when she got to work there was always a steaming mug of hot chocolate on her desk with one sugar and five marshmallows in to, thick and creamy and delicious. Those hot chocolates were one of the things that lured her into work every day, even when she was sick. And it had been Malfoy leaving them all this time?

"Aren't you supposed to be the brightest witch of our age? Weasley was never smart enough to even know you like hot chocolate, let alone to leave you one every day," Malfoy drawled. Hermione smacked his arm.

"So, what makes you think that you have a chance at winning my heart, Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked him softly, reverting back to the reason they were alone in a deserted corridor.

"I always get what I want," Malfoy murmured to her, his eyes boring into hers. "And I want you."

"But I'm a know-it-all little mudblood," Hermione whispered his favourite insult from Hogwarts. Malfoy just shrugged as though he didn't care.

"I don't care. I want all of you Hermione. You will be mine," he vowed. Hermione stared at him in shock.

"And if I'm not interested in you that way?" she asked him.

"You will be," he smirked wickedly. "You already are."

Hermione narrowed her eyes on him. She was acutely aware of every place his body touched hers and a little embarrassed by how much she liked the feel of being pressed against him but she wasn't about to let him know that.

"This is for you," he whispered, the hand he held to hers traced lightly around her wrist and Hermione gasped to realise he'd just used wandless non-verbal magic to conjure her a white-gold chain link bracelet with a love heart latch.

"You can't keep giving me things," she countered uncomfortably.

"'Tis the season, Hermione," he murmured. Hermione stared into his eyes wanting to pull the mask off his face so she could better read his expression and work out if he was really serious about this or if he was just playing with her.

"I don't have anything for you," she admitted, embarrassed now.

"Yes, you do," he breathed and Hermione felt herself sigh against his lips when they brushed against hers again. Merlin, everything about him was inebriating, making her forget everything else just a touch of his lips to hers.

This time when he kissed her it was slow and deliberate. It started a steady burn in her soul and Hermione could just tell that his resolution to win her heart might not be as hard as he imagined. It had been so long since anyone had kissed her so skilfully, and never had she felt so consumed by a single kiss. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and her legs trying to turn to jelly as he pressed her into the wall harder, her hands tunnelling into his hair and cupping his cheeks tenderly. She felt like she could never get enough of him.

From what she knew of Malfoy now, Hermione wondered if she could maybe let go of all the bad blood between them. Could she put their past to rest and let him sweep her off her feet? If she could, would she be able to trust him with her heart?

Pressed up against him in the dimly lit corridor with her heart racing giddily, Hermione knew she wanted to. For the first time in a very long time she wanted to trust someone with her deepest darkest secrets, wanted to give herself over to the feelings he was eliciting. Kissing him slowly in the dark, Hermione wanted to forget all about their past, all about the reasons everyone would throw a hissy fit over the idea of Hermione Granger snogging Draco Malfoy and wanted to completely give in to him. Hermione shivered when she realised that part of her wanted to fall in love with him.

She whimpered as he pulled back from her gently, and she felt as though she was seeing his true smile for the first time. It was wide and open, happy and genuine, and it made her heart stutter. He leaned his forehead to hers for a moment, humming contentedly.

"I'm going to make you mine, Hermione Granger," he vowed softly as he pulled back from her, completely letting her go. Hermione's body immediately felt the loss of his touch and yearned for more of it.

Before she could sort out the giddy feelings racing through her, he was walking away from her down the deserted corridor.

"Oh, and Granger?" he called over his shoulder with a smirk, "Happy Christmas."


	2. Christmas Cheer

**Chapter 2: Christmas Cheer**

* * *

 

Hermione was smiling as she walked into her office the following morning when she caught sight of the steaming mug of hot chocolate on her desk. She still felt giddy after those intoxicating kisses last night and hadn't been able to get Draco Malfoy out of her mind. She knew it ought to disturb her, but it didn't. Sometime during the night she had completely let go of all the horrors and bad blood of the past between herself and Draco Malfoy and had decided instead that from now onwards she was going to get to know him as he was now, rather than judging him as being the insolent boy she had gone to Hogwarts with. It had been seven years after all, and if he could really have been sending her these hot chocolates every morning for that many years than she supposed that he had to have changed.

With a spring in her step Hermione crossed the office and picked up the steaming mug, drinking from it deeply. She sighed contentedly when she detected the flavour of hazelnut. Every year around Christmas the hazelnut flavour was added to her cup along with the other sweet, sugary, chocolatey goodness. Hermione felt her already high spirits soar and not even the sight of the massive contracts she needed to pour through, nor the large pile of other paperwork she needed to get through before Christmas break, which was only five days away.

Her office was already decorated brightly with boughs of holly and a large, brightly lit Christmas tree stood in the corner of her office. The fire crackled merrily as though it too was aware of her happy mood and outside the windows the weather was snowing softly. For the first time all season, Hermione pointed her wand at the old radio on her book shelf and felt herself smile even wider as Christmas songs burst into the room jovially. She found herself distracted all over again by the beautiful bracelet he'd given her, glistening softly in the well lit room and Hermione could help but giggle at herself. She could only put it down to happiness or giddiness or something but she felt strangely free this morning and she knew in her heart hat it was entirely Draco Malfoy's fault.

Hermione was sitting at her desk sipping her hot drink and smiling into the fire, humming along to the tune of Frosty the Snowman, when a familiar face wandered into her office, staring at her in surprise.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked her, sounding surprised and intrigued to find her studious best friend in such a state when there was such a large pile of work on her desk waiting to be attended to.

"Good Morning Ginny" Hermione smiled at her red-haired friend, admiring the way Ginny's stomach was beginning to protrude with the beginning thickening of her waist as her second pregnancy began to show.

"You are glowing this morning!" Ginny chuckled, plonking herself down opposite Hermione.

"So are you my dear friend" Hermione complimented her "Pregnancy always looks good on you."

Ginny blushed "Thanks. Now, enough about me! Was I seeing things with my mushed up baby-brain or were you snogging someone last night?"

Hermione felt like the smile that took hold of her features was going to break her face.

"You weren't hallucinating Gin" Hermione laughed, fingering the bracelet on her wrist as she thought about how dreamy it had been to kiss Malfoy last night.

"Well don't just sit there fantasizing about it! I live vicariously through you 'Mione. I need details!" Ginny giggled.

"Can't you tell that I enjoyed myself?" Hermione smiled at her impatient friend.

"Well obviously! Who was he?" Ginny demanded to know, looking incredibly excited about it "I asked around after you left last night but no one seemed to know. Apparently his mask was too disguising."

Hermione was just about to open her mouth when the announcer on the radio distracted her and Hermione turned to stare at the machine.

' _And we've had a special request put in this morning for a Miss Hermione Granger. Apparently that fine young woman will know just who this song is from, and I've been told to tell everyone who doesn't know to sod off. So without further ado, Hermione this one's for you.'_

Hermione giggled at the announcement before the bouncy tune and happy lyrics of Mariah Carey's  _ **All I Want For Christmas is You!**_ Began to play loud and clear through the radio for all of London to hear.

"Oh my Gosh Hermione! I think you have an admirer" Ginny began to laugh, "One who doesn't give a hoot about letting the whole world know about it apparently. I'm guessing from the look on your face that you know exactly who put this on the radio for you this morning?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes" Hermione smiled, blushing shyly at the idea of admitting to Ginny that last night she'd been snogging Draco Malfoy and now couldn't get him or his declaration of intending to win her heart, out of her head.

"Well don't just smirk behind your drink woman! I need to know who!" Ginny shouted, losing her patience completely as the suspense of not knowing drove her crazy.

"Shh" Hermione shushed her, "My song is still playing!"

Ginny fell silent while the song played out, watching the way her best friend's head began to bob along to the tune and she smiled so dreamily. When it finally ended Hermione looked to be off in her own world and Ginny just knew that whoever it was that had kissed her last night had already weaved their way under Hermione's skin.

"Now will you tell me?" Ginny asked finally when Hermione sat there silently for almost five minutes, a soft little dreamy smile on her face, her hands playing with something dangling from her wrist.

"Hmm?" Hermione hummed questioningly as though Ginny had woken her out of a trance. "Oh sorry Ginny" she blushed "I got side-tracked."

"I can see that" Ginny smiled "So who is he that he can work his way into your brilliant mind and distract you not only from conversations but from your work as well? I don't think I've seen you this happy and dreamy since the war ended when you and Ron were in that early stage of your relationship when everything was all lovey-dovey."

"Oh Gin" Hermione sighed, fixing her eyes on the red-head "I know you want me to tell you, but you're going to think I've gone mad. And then you'll yell at me, and rush off and tell Ron and Harry, who will both feel it's necessary to yell at me as well."

"You think I won't approve?" Ginny asked disbelievingly "Hermione, if whoever it is can make you this happy with just one night of snogging under the mistletoe, and make you forget about everything else, then my opinion isn't really going to matter."

Hermione sighed, looking into Ginny's blue eyes and wondering if that would still be true when she found out that Hermione had been snogging Draco Malfoy.

"Please tell me. I promise I won't get mad." Ginny begged.

"Ok…. Last night, under the mistletoe someone caught my hand while I was looking for you and Harry" Hermione began, trying to paint it so that Ginny would better understand. "He was lying in wait to catch me there. Before I even had the chance to see who it was he kissed me…"

Ginny grinned excitedly, imagining the thrill of being swept off her feet like that.

"I've never been kissed like that Gin. It was like…. Magic. The smell of his cologne and the feel of his lips and tongue against mine…. I just couldn't get enough. I forgot about everything else. Forgot all about the rubbish day I had yesterday, all about everyone else in the room staring at us, all about everything else. I even forgot to care that I was snogging a complete stranger."

Ginny sighed at the idea. Harry had a tendency to kiss her like that in such a way that she was often left utterly speechless and head-over-heels in love with him all over again every time he did it. It was the type of kiss that made her feel completely loved and wanted and like nothing else mattered.

"When he pulled back he told me that I didn't know how long he'd been wanting to snog me, and I told him no one had ever kissed me like that. I started to lean back so I could find out who he was, but he didn't let me. He snogged me again instead." Hermione sighed dreamily as she thought about it again.

"It sounds magical" Ginny smiled encouragingly to see the wistful expression on Hermione's face.

"It was. He sent me that dress and the whole outfit I was wearing last night too…. He told me that he knew I'd had a rubbish day yesterday and that if I didn't have anything nice to wear I wouldn't have shown up. He's rather cunning you see? So he sent me the dress so I'd come to the ball and get caught by him under the mistletoe."

"He must fancy you then if he planned it all out." Ginny announced excitedly.

Hermione nodded "Yes. He admitted he has since the war ended. He's the one who sends me these every day as well," Hermione told her friend, lifting the hot chocolate cup indicatively.

"Really? But you've been getting those every morning for years and years."

"Yes. I actually thought it was Ron who bought them for me since they started turning up not long after we got together. I thought he must've just never told the elves not to make it for me or something…"

"It wasn't though… besides, the elves don't make those" Ginny pointed to the paper cup Hermione held "That's a take-away cup from a muggle tea shop down the street from St James's Park. Teddy and James love going there and chasing the squirrels. I always get my tea from there."

"Really?" Hermione said, startled to realise that every day for the past six and a half-years Draco Malfoy had been going to the same muggle store and buying her a hot chocolate on his way to work.

"Yeah. Seems like your admirer is even sweeter than you thought" Ginny grinned at Hermione's surprised expression.

"Oh wow…. He told me he fancies me Ginny, but I don't think I understood how much…. He gave me this as well before snogging me again" Hermione told Ginny, holding out her wrist where the chain and heart bracelet dangled on her wrist.

"It's pretty" Ginny complimented, wondering who on earth knew Hermione well enough to know that she liked to get dressed and look fancy for things like the ball last night, but appreciated simplicity and practicality as well. Ginny knew that on more than one occasion during the last few years it was only the thought of her morning hot chocolate that had lured Hermione to work even when she was sick or tired.

"So who is this wonderful man that has fancied you so long and knows you so well?" Ginny asked her, rubbing her hand against her slightly protruding stomach as she felt the stirring of her growing baby.

"Oh Ginny you're not going to believe me" Hermione sighed, looking at her best friend and wondering how to tell her it was Malfoy.

"Sure I will" Ginny assured her, practically going spare with wanting to know.

"The person I was snogging last night was…. Draco Malfoy" Hermione admitted finally, blushing as she said it and watching Ginny's blue eyes go wide with disbelief.

"Really?" Ginny breathed "You've snogged Malfoy?"

Hermione nodded, still blushing.

"Oh Merlin…. No wonder you didn't want to tell me…. But look at you Hermione; you look like you're going to fall for him." Ginny said, frowning worriedly.

"He's a good kisser," Hemrione defended. "And as you pointed out, he's been going to a muggle store for almost seven years every single morning just to bring me hot chocolate even though I didn't know it."

"But he's still Malfoy," Ginny argued, "He's still the bloke who called you a mudblood for the entire time we were at Hogwarts, still the one who cursed Katie Bell and Madam Rosemerta, still the ex-Death Eater."

"Maybe he's changed Gin" Hermione said softly. "Every single day for the past seven years, even if I was dismissive or rude to him if I ever ran into him anywhere, he still bought me a hot chocolate every day." She said, waving the cup at Ginny.

"You were tortured in his house Hermione!" Ginny pointed out

"Not by him. And yes he was a Death Eater once upon a time, but the war is long over, Voldemort is dead and gone, his parents are both locked in Azkaban and I think I remember reading that he sold the Manor years ago…. He told me he fancies me and has for a while…. Ginny he told me that he's intending to try and win my heart as his New Year's Resolution" Hermione told her friend.

"Oh Merlin" Ginny sighed "This is even worse than I thought. What on earth is wrong with that man? Laying it on thick isn't he?"

"You would scoff at romance when your relationship is perfect" Hermione told her.

"Well… I suppose it is a little romantic. But it's bloody Malfoy."

"I asked him if he'd gone mad, and what someone like him, the most notorious and somewhat disgraced pureblood in all of Britain was doing snogging a mudblood like me when he'd made a note to call me one all through Hogwarts" Hermione said quietly "Do you know what he said back to me?"

Ginny shook her head, curious as to how the ferret would respond to such a question.

"He told me that it didn't matter to him at all anymore about blood status, and that he wasn't really sure if it ever did or if it was just what he'd been brought up being fed. He said that since his parents were thrown into Prison, he realised he fancied me. So I asked him that if he had for so long why was he telling me almost seven years later. He said that courage was our forte not his, so he'd been trying to be cunning about it. He also asked me how I could be the smartest witch of our age if I thought Ron was clever enough to have learned my favourite drink, let alone to deliver me one every day."

"Pull the other one" Ginny laughed, not entirely sure she believed all this "What kind of bollocks is he shovelling here? We're supposed to just believe that after the war he up and got over his prejudice enough to fall in love with you?"

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat when Ginny said the words 'fall in love'

"You really think Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, the rotten little toe-rag who was so cruel to you at Hogwarts has changed his spots?"

"I don't know Gin" Hermione replied, sighing before taking a sip of her delicious beverage. "What I do know is that in the time since the war ended, I haven't heard much about him. I'm fairly certain he's been in the running every year since then to win the Most Eligble Bachelor nonsense in Witch Weekly. And let me tell you, after last night, it's lucky he smirks so much instead of smiling because his genuine, happy smile is worth every Witch Weekly's Best Smile Award to have ever been given out."

"Wait he actually smiled?" Ginny asked incredulously "I didn't know he knew how. I thought that foul smirk was permanent."

"You think I'm foolish, don't you?"

"I think that you ought to be cautious. By the looks of things, no matter what I or anyone else might say, you're going to fall for him 'Mione. And fall hard. I just don't want the fall to break you…. I don't know Hermione, maybe he really has changed, maybe he's secretly a romantic at heart and beneath that cool, prickly persona we've all seen there is some soft-spoken, charming, loving soul…. But I won't believe it until I see it for real. And I don't just mean seeing him do sweet things for you like giving you gifts or putting out cute songs on a radio station. I mean seeing him treat you with the love and respect you deserve. I mean seeing him treat you the way Harry treats me, in a way that makes you feel like and believe you are the only goddess in his universe and that nothing could ever make him happier than having you in his life. Anything less and he will never earn my approval…."

Ginny said with a sort of finality that made Hermione think that Ginny would keep to her words and that if Draco Malfoy wanted any kind of permanent place in Hermione's life, as he had implied last night, he was going to have to work hard for that privilege.

"I'll keep that in mind" a low voice drawled from the doorway into Hermione's office and both young women spun quickly to find Draco Malfoy leaning there, looking as dashing and wicked as ever.

Hermione felt a little smile slide on her face at being able to see his whole face today, rather than having it concealed like it had been last night. He was dressed in a grey business suit, though he had spiced up the look with a festive Christmas neck-tie, and his blonde hair hung down his forehead, stylishly messy and somehow drawing Hermione's gaze to his grey eyes.

"See that you do" Ginny said, and Hermione could hear the way her friend was trying to keep the cold tone out of her voice but not having much luck with it at being confronted with their Hogwarts rival.

"I see congratulations are in order" he replied instead, nodding at Ginny's thickened waistline.

"Thank you" Ginny replied, seeming taken aback by his manner, just as Hermione had been last night.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked him, before taking a sip from the beverage he'd left for her. When his eyes landed on her, Hermione felt herself shiver a little in delight. It wasn't fair that he managed to always look so handsome.

"I've always thought that it was foolish to have the Twelve Days of Christmas not begin until the twenty-fifth. It's the lead up to Christmas that is the most exciting. Beside, carrying it on all the way into the New Year is so boring a cliché" he replied mysteriously, still leaning casually in the doorframe. "So I've decided that this year I'm starting it before Christmas. Today in fact."

Hermione bit her lip, trying to hide her smile from him as she realised that he was intending to bring her gifts for the next twelve days.

"Technically today would be the second day" Hermione told him "Since you gave me gifts yesterday."

His brow crinkled "But I left your turtle doves at home for tomorrow" he protested.

"What's that smell?" Ginny interrupted the pair of them rather rudely, sniffing loudly. Hermione looked at her strangely and Ginny winked at her before turning a particularly droll stare on Malfoy.

"It smells cheesy," she said, clearly insulting Malfoy.

Hermione giggled when she saw the amusement and irritation flicker in Malfoy's grey eyes.

"You're lucky you're pregnant Potterette" Malfoy replied though he didn't sound overly threatening.

Ginny looked startled by his new nickname for her and Hermione outright laughed at the way he had adapted his old nickname for Ginny- Weaselette- to accommodate her new marital status.

"I never liked you," Ginny told him before turning to Hermione. "I can see you're going to have to set mousetraps with this much cheesiness lying about. I'll see you later alright? Try not to drown in all the bollocks he's shovelling, ok?"

Hermione just laughed at her friend, watching Ginny get to her feet and stalk over to Malfoy, she stopped in front of him and Hermione could imagine the fierce expression on the red-head's face.

"I don't know what it is that you're playing at here Malfoy" Ginny said threateningly "But you should know right now that if you do anything that in any way upsets or hurts my best friend, I'm going to curse you into a million itty bitty Malfoy pieces and not even the best Aurors in the world will ever know what happened to you. Got it?"

Hermione was surprised by the affronted and slightly disturbed look on Malfoy's face as he replied. "Yes Ma'am.

Ginny gave a sharp nod before shoving him out of the way so she could get through the door.

"Fierce, isn't she?" Draco said to Hermione, striding into the room and kicking the door almost all the way closed with his foot.

"She always has been, but it gets particularly scary when she's pregnant. Harry learned after the first pregnancy to avoid arguments with her at all costs while she's pregnant because the hexes she thinks up are even nastier than her Bat-Bogey Hex." Hermione replied, her stomach swooping nervously to be alone in her office with him when she'd gone to sleep with his scent in her nose and dreamt of the way it felt to kiss him.

"And Potter willingly goes home to that at night?" Draco Malfoy shook his head disbelievingly "I think the next time I see him I might have to shake his hand for his bravery."

"You really have changed, haven't you?" Hermione blurted, shocked by his words.

"Don't want to believe it, do you?" he smirked at her.

"Of course I do. I like being right" Hermione told him.

"You're kind of cute with hat hair" Malfoy replied, throwing Hermione off balance.

He laughed when she blushed and tried to pat at her hair in a vain attempt to fix it.

"What are you really doing here Malfoy? I'm not sure I believe what you said last night" Hermione said.

"You just don't want to believe it Granger" he countered, clearly referring to the idea of him fancying "But you'll get used to it. I didn't want to believe it at first either, but here we are nearly seven years later and it hasn't changed, I still fancy the pants off you."

Hermione felt her jaw unhinge as it dropped open. He laughed at her.

"What happened to the skulking around so much that I had no idea you fancied me? What happened to being cunning about trying to convince me you're not the same wanker I went to school with?"

Malfoy shrugged "It's not like you don't already know. I told you yesterday. But I'd hate for you to forget" her grinned at her and Hermione felt her heart skip a beat, especially when he moved around to her side of the desk and leant against it, peering down at her.

Hermione was acutely aware of him all over again and her whole body tingled as she remembered how it had felt to have him touching her while he snogged her last night.

"Do you have plans tonight?" he asked her straight out. Hermione shook her head, finding it impossible to drag her eyes away from his lips.

"This is for you" he said, handing a small, bright wrapped Christmas parcel.

"You need to stop buying me things" Hermione told him without taking the gift.

"Why? I like surprising you. Your expressions when you see what I've given you are adorable."

"Who are you and what have you done with Malfoy? The bloke I remember did not say sweet things." Hermione asked him, giggling a little.

"Yeah, but he was a tosser" Draco told her "Take the gift Hermione. If you don't I'm just going to leave it here or have it delivered to your house."

"Why are you buying me gifts?"

"I told you, I'm starting the twelve days of Christmas gift giving early this year."

"Why?"

"Because I like it when you get embarrassed and blush while you tell me you don't have anything for me, meaning I can steal more kisses from you."

"My god, no wonder you used to be a tosser, else people would've seen how cheesy you are."

"That's not a very nice thing to say Hermione" Draco chided while he smirked at her.

Reluctantly, Hermione took the gift he was still holding in front of her nose.

"Do I have to open it now or do you want me to wait until Christmas morning?"

"Now. Unless you're intending to have me around to your house Christmas morning to see your expressions."

Narrowing her eyes at him for a minute, Hermione shook the little neatly wrapped gift, listening for any rattling or tinkling or anything else that might give a clue to what it could be. She couldn't hear anything, so Hermione slowing untucked one corner, being careful not to tear the thick gold wrapping paper. Inside was one of those fuzzy little rectangle shaped jewellery boxes and Hermione looked up at Malfoy suspiciously before opening the lid.

Thankfully it was too big to be a ring box, but it still held jewellery inside. Hermione heard her own breath catch in admiration and she looked at the fine chained necklace with a dove pendant on it.

"Do you like it?" he asked her nervously when she just stared at it for a little while.

"Yes" Hermione whispered without looking up at him "Will you do it up for me?"

Moving her hair to the side, Hermione lifted the necklace and wrapped it around her neck, holding the two ends together and offering them to him. Her stomach did a somersault of excitement when his cool fingers brushed against hers as he took the ends of the chain and clasped them together, resting the necklace against her skin before pulling back so he could admire it on her.

"Pretty" he complimented her softly, making Hermione blush pink.

"Thank you…" she murmured "But you really need to stop buying me things." Hermione twisted her hands in her lap nervously to have him so close. He was sitting on her desk now, right next to her chair, peering down at her as though she fascinated him.

"I like buying you things" he countered just a softly.

"You can't buy me, Draco" Hermione told him, lifting her gaze to meet his eyes as she tested out his first name.

"I'm not trying to Hermione" he replied "I just like giving you things. It's all a plot to steal kisses from you. I told you that."

"And you think you have to earn them by giving me things first?" Hermione demanded softly.

"Don't I?" his grey eyes twinkled wickedly and Hermione knew she'd walked into a trap. Narrowing her eyes as a way of replying, Hermione Granger folded her arms over her chest, making Malfoy chuckle.

"Would you like to go out for dinner with me tonight?" Draco asked her quietly, holding her gaze steadily. Hermione raised her eyebrows. If he didn't stop surprising her it was going to become a permanent expression.

"Are you asking me on a date Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked coyly.

"Are you saying yes?" he countered, grinning.

"I might be" she replied, knowing it was crazy but wanting to go out with him.

"Then it's a date" he announced triumphantly "I'll pick you up from you flat at eight."

"You know where I live?" she asked curiously.

Malfoy gave her a droll stare that told her she had just asked a silly question "Hermione if I didn't know where you lived by now, then I wouldn't be asking you out."

"Right" Hermione muttered to herself "Because that's not creepy and disturbing at all."

"Did you just call me creepy?" he asked her.

"Yes. Exactly how much have you learned about me in all this time?"

"Almost everything" he told her smugly. Hermione stared back down at her lap while she absorbed that little piece of information. She startled when his cool fingers gently lifted her chin so she would be looking at him again.

Her breath caught when he leant towards her and her whole body seemed to go into overdrive at the idea of kissing him again. Her heart raced wildly, but before she could get her hopes up, his warm lips pressed tenderly against her forehead before he got to his feet.

"I'll pick you up at eight, ok?" he asked her, flashing her that sweet, genuine smile that seemed to completely melt her heart whenever she saw it. Hermione nodded, too caught up in his beauty to speak. "Dress warm, alright?"

Hermione nodded again, only half listening to what he was saying because his smile was so enchanting. It grew even wider as she stared at him.

"Merlin, you're beautiful," he murmured softly before he strode around her desk and headed for the door, throwing another smile over his shoulder and accompanying it with a wink. Hermione's forehead was still tingling from where he had kissed her and she realised she had a giant goofy smile on her face when her door clicked closed behind him. Groaning at the effect he had on her, Hermione let her face fall into her hands, just knowing she was going to be nervous, excited and worried all afternoon because of him. She had a date with Draco Malfoy!


	3. Date Night

**Chapter 3: Date Night**

* * *

  _Christmas waves a magic wand over the world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful._

* * *

 

Dressed in tight black skinny jeans, long black boots with a heel, and a plum shaded knit dress with long sleeves, a stylishly loose neckline that showed off her new necklace, and her thickest, longest knitted scarf of deep royal blue Hermione was pacing inside her small flat. She'd been a bundle of nerves all day long since Malfoy had come into her office and asked her out on a date. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was now only one minute to eight o'clock. Her stomach was all sorts of confused since it kept trying to grumble at her about being hungry, but was constantly being rushed by the rabid butterflies that had taken up residence inside of her.

Just as her little grandfather clock began to chime out the hour Hermione almost jumped out of her skin at the knock on the door. Grumbling at herself for being so jittery and at him for being exactly on time, Hermione rushed towards the door, stopping to glance in her foyer mirror before opening the door.

She narrowed her eyes at her reflection. All the nervous energy inside her was wreaking havoc with her hair and though she had done her best to tame the wild curls, she'd been less than successful. Rolling her eyes at herself for being so nervous about this and for the fact that she'd been unable to forget how it had felt when he'd kissed her, Hermione rubbed her lips together, redistributing her lip gloss before fixing a smile on her face.

When she tugged the door open, Draco Malfoy was standing on the landing to her flat looking out over the snow covered street dressed up festively with all the wonderful decorations and trimmings of the season. He had his back to her, but even so Hermione bit her lip to see him dressed so nicely. Unlike the suits he donned for work every day, he wore blue jeans and a long black woollen trench coat that fell to the backs of his knees. She could see a green scarf wrapped around his neck and his blonde hair had snowflakes in it.

"You'll always be right on time, won't you?" Hermione asked him softly, feeling herself smile even wider as he turned around to look at her.

"It would be impolite to arrive late or early" he replied and Hermione felt her heart melt even more for him when he flashed her that wide, happy genuine smile as he added, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you" Hermione blushed.

"But you can't go dressed like that" He told her, still smiling even as he offered her a bouquet of red and yellow tulips. Hermione brought them to her nose and smelled their sweet fragrance even as his words sank in.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" She demanded "And thank you for these."

"Pretty ladies deserve pretty flowers" he replied "But you can't wear those shoes to go walking about in the snow."

"Where are you taking me?" Hermione asked curiously, unnerved and a little exhilarated by the idea of wandering around in the snow at night with Draco Malfoy.

"That would be telling. Do you have anything to match that outfit that doesn't have a heel?" Draco asked.

"Yes. Come in" She added, calling to him over her shoulder as she re-entered her flat and led him down the hall into her cosy little kitchen. "Can I get you anything before I go and wrestle my way through my shoebox?"

"I can find my own way around your kitchen I think" Draco smirked at her and Hermione rolled her eyes at the idea of him pottering around in any kitchen.

"You better not call any house elves in here" she warned.

"I promise I won't. Now go on or you're going to make us late for our dinner reservation" Draco told her and Hermione sighed, setting off down the hallway in search of some boots with little or no heel that would keep her feet dry even if they went tramping through snow drifts.

When she emerged she was surprised to see Draco sitting on the couch in her living room, watching her tele as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What are you watching?" Hermione asked him, coming up next to the armchair and glancing between the tele and Draco.

"The Grinch" he replied "I love Christmas movies."

"Merlin, it's like you're this whole different person to the bloke I went to school with." Hermione exclaimed, utterly shocked by the fact that he knew how to use a tele at all, let alone that he liked Christmas movies.

"You didn't think that I was just a nasty, arrogant little toe-rag with no interests beyond tormenting you and your friends did you?" Draco admonished playfully and Hermione giggled when she realised that she really had done just that.

"So where are you taking me?" Hermione asked him, changing the subject fast.

"Do you trust me?" he asked instead, getting to his feet, setting his empty tea cup on the coffee table and extending his hand towards her slowly.

Hermione hesitated for just a moment before she reached out, interlocking her fingers with his and letting him pull her closer. Draco graced her with another one of those heart-stoppingly-handsome smiles he'd been hiding for so many years as he free hand came up to rest intimately against the small of her back. She didn't even think about it as she laid her head against his chest and waited with baited breath for him to Apparate them away to dinner.

He smelled delicious. That was all she could think about, cuddled up against him and Hermione startled when she realised she had been so caught up in the spicy scent of him that she hadn't even noticed the way he'd apparated them already.

"What are you doing to me?" Hermione mumbled as she stepped back from him slowly, looking up into his handsome pointed face.

"What do you mean?" He asked her, a soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"I've never liked to apparate" Hermione admitted, looking into his grey eyes "It makes me feel squeamish… but with you… I didn't even realise we'd left my flat."

"Careful Hermione" Draco warned her, smiling winningly again "Or I might start to think you're attracted to me."

"Merlin Forbid" Hermione grinned cheekily, liking the way he kept hold of her hand as they strolled out of the side alley.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked again.

"You never stop being curious do you?" He shot back.

"No, not until I have my answers anyway. So you might as well tell me because otherwise I'm just going to keep harping on about it until you shout at me."

Draco smirked at her in amusement.

"I think my days of being able to shout at you about anything are over, love" he told her.

Hermione threw her head back and laughed at him.

"If you really believe that then you're in for a nasty shock Draco Malfoy. You have an even more volatile temper than I do and a penchant for arguing. Besides, if you're sticking around fighting with me is inevitable." She told him.

"Maybe I can stick around without having to yell at you. After all, we are adults now, Hermione" Draco smirked at her but Hermione could see the glimmer in his eyes that told her he was very much aware they would probably have screaming matches if he could convince her to let him be a part of her life.

"Who knew I'd ever see the day Draco Malfoy learned to act like a mature and responsible adult instead of a snide little boy?"

"Who knew I'd learn that Hermione Granger had a sense of humour and could be dragged away from her books for something other than wild quests with Potty and Weaselby?" he said.

"You're secretly smitten with them as well, aren't you?" Hermione poked fun at him "I always suspected you must be. Never could get over that spurned handshake in first year from Harry and you've been running around like a little snot tormenting us ever since."

"Oh yes. My secret's out. I'm only getting close to you in an attempt to steal Potty away from his pregnant wife and their son because I knew the minute I saw him that we were soul mates" Draco rolled his eyes and Hermione watched him almost gag as he stopped to think about what he'd just said.

"Merlin I spout some bollocks" he grumbled and Hermione laughed when he scrubbed his hand over his face as though trying to wipe away whatever mental images he conjured of himself and Harry as lovers.

"I've always thought so" Hermione told him helpfully.

"Close your eyes, smarty pants" Draco told her. Hermione didn't even think about it before she obeyed him, surprising both of them. She felt him move around behind her, steering her along the busy street before turning her and pulling her to a stop. Hermione felt like she was going to explode with curiosity as she waited for him to tell her she could open her eyes again.

"Alright beautiful, you can open your eyes now" He told her and Hermione snapped her eyes open, tilting her head back to read the restaurant name when she realised she was standing face inwards looking at an eatery.

"Where have you…?" Hermione trailed off, feeling her eyes go wide as she realised she was staring up at the sign of the Bocca di Lupo Italian restaurant she'd been trying to convince Harry, Ginny, Ron and Scarlett to come to for forever.

"How did you…?" Hermione turned to look at the blonde haired man watching her with the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "How did you know?" Hermione whispered.

"That you wanted to come here?" Draco clarified, Hermione nodded. "For a bossy know-it-all, you're not that big on listening, are you Hermione?"

Hermione just stared up into the face she had once hated and now knew that she was going to fall completely in love with.

"I told you love, I've fancied you for a long time. Of course I know the places you've been dying to go to, and the things you've talked about wanting to try."

"But how?" Hermione asked "It's not as though you're some invisible person that follows me around everywhere I go. I'd have noticed if you were lurking around me all the time."

Draco laughed at her.

"You're even more unobservant than I thought" he told her "I might not have been invisible but I've been wandering around fancying you for almost seven years Granger. Just because you decided to file me out of your mind as being no more important and of even less worth to notice than objects of furniture, doesn't mean I haven't been lurking. So every time at work in the lifts, or the hallways when you're chattering to your friends and ignoring me, I've been paying attention. I probably know more about the things you've been wanting to do than you do because every time I hear you say you want to do something new or different, I've been jotting it down in case I ever got up the nerve to talk to you."

Hermione knew her jaw was dangling somewhere near her belly button but she didn't know what to do about it since there was no way she was going to be able to just hoist it back up after he'd admitted that.

"And before you go accusing me of being obsessed you should know that you have no true concept of the meaning of 'obsessed'." He told her, his hand finding the small of her back and steering her inside the restaurant and out of the snow. "Reservation for Malfoy" he told the waitress.

Even while the waitress seated them and brought them back menus, Hermione just kept on staring at him.

"Stop staring with your mouth open like that" Draco told her mildly "I might think it's cute, but everyone else is going to think you're a little bit special and that I'm your carer."

Hermione snapped her mouth shut, her teeth clacking together.

"Have you seriously been lurking around learning everything about me and I've never noticed?" She asked in a whisper. Draco smirked at her.

"It's a good thing you turned down the offer to be an Auror, love, because you are one of the most unobservant people I've ever met. I actually said hello to you in the lifts at work every morning for an entire month last year and the whole time I'd get a mumbled half-hello and a dismissive wave. That was it. Sometimes, I didn't even get that. I'd be standing right next to you, just waiting for you to look at me so I could blurt out some ill-thought-out, panicked invitation to ask you on a date and not once for the whole month did you even spare me a glance."

Hermione was appalled with herself and stared at him hoping he was going to tell her he was joking.

"I'm so sorry…. Am I really that rude?" she whispered, mortified.

This time Malfoy laughed.

"I realised later that for the whole month while I was saying hello to you, you were trying to get that Vampire Registration Act reformed and that you weren't focusing on anything else but that. Mostly because I was shocked when you were so distracted that you came into work one morning dressed in a summer dress with your hair pulled up in a messy knot on top of your head, still munching on a stack of toast while re-reading the reform for the thousandth time, muttering to yourself about vampires the whole time."

Hermione felt her cheeks turn crimson when she realised she didn't even remember that happening.

"I had no idea what was going on with you until the reform was passed by the Wizenagamot."

"Merlin, I'm a wreck" Hermione groaned, burying her face in her hands wondering what kinds of other things she'd done when she was too wrapped up in her work to think about dressing properly for work or greeting people in lifts. She knew that when she was that distracted she often bumped into things as well but took little notice of them until she'd find a bruise she couldn't explain.

"It was definitely a blow to my ego, having you dismiss me without so much of a glance but when I worked it out I found it rather amusing. Especially when I'd see you wandering along bumping into things, completely absorbed in your own brilliant mind. When you got really busy with the legislation for the Work Rights of House Elves legislation I took to purposely standing in your way sometimes, just so you'd bump into me."

"Really?" Hermione breathed, not recalling anything about that time of her life but how much time and energy she had spent arguing with representatives from the House Elf race as well as with the Department of Magical Creatures and the Wizenagamot. She'd been consumed by it for months and months and Hermione suddenly found herself wondering if she'd been conducting herself in a manner befitting a woman of her professional position when she had apparently showed up for work in a summer dress once. How many other times had she conducted herself in a manner ill-befitting a Team Manager within her field?

"Really. One morning you looked up, mostly because you actually tripped before you could bump into me, and I caught you. I don't think I've ever seen you look so surprised, irritated and utterly despairing all at the same time, ever before or since. You were trying to carry you hand bag and your brief case, all while simultaneously juggling a text book, several documents that you were pouring through, and the take out you'd bought for lunch."

Hermione stared at him horror stricken.

"You apologised as though you'd offended Merlin himself, before grumbling under your breath about having dropped everything, and about the fact that I took several moments to steady you and help you pick everything up. I don't think you even really realised it was me. I was just the face of a random man you'd run into. As soon as I helped you gather up all your belongings you wandered off again, still grumbling and trying to sort out all your documents."

"What is wrong with me?" Hermione breathed, wondering if perhaps she ought to see a medi-witch about these prolonged periods of memory loss whilst consumed with a topic.

"I find it very endearing" Draco told her, smiling widely at her even as he shuffled his menu a little, clearly trying to distract her from her embarrassment. "What are you feeling like eating tonight Hermione?"

"Oh… um…. Gosh, really?" Hermione asked, unable to focus on her menu at all.

"Really. You were a hazard to everyone around you and to yourself while you were working on that particular legislation draft. I think I'm going to have the Brie arancini in creamy white sauce with the tender chicken breast basted in plum salsa."

"I think you're a little bit bonkers to have begun fancying a complete train wreck like me" Hermione told him, staring at his handsome face and wondering how it was that at Hogwarts she'd thought of him as a ferret-faced evil little cockroach when he was so handsome and apparently had been harbouring this sweet, kind-hearted side of himself.

"I've been called worse" Draco smirked at her.

"That dish does sound good" Hermione admitted, and she smiled when Draco waved the waitress back over, ordering them one each as well as a bottle of some fruity Italian wine Hermione had trouble pronouncing the name of. She kind of liked the way he seemed utterly oblivious to the waitress's flirtatious manner and especially enjoyed the way his hand snuck across the table to rest on top of hers intimately.

His fingers were cool against her skin, but Hermione rather enjoyed the sensation because it drew into sharp focus everywhere that he touched her due to the contrast in temperature to her toasty warm skin in comparison to his.

"So, what have you been doing with yourself when you've not been sneaking around learning my secrets Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked him curiously, wondering how it was that he seemed to have completely changed who he was in Hogwarts to be who he appeared as now.

"Working mostly" he admitted.

"I have to admit I never saw you as the type to get a mundane job… or a job at all really. I always sort of assumed that given your wealth you would just… I don't even know what."

Draco gave her a self-deprecating sort of smile.

"I did too, before the war. But afterwards… well, my parents and almost everyone I knew was thrown into Azkaban or dead. Everyone else didn't want to have much to do with me, given my role in the war. I brooded for a long while, but the Manor got so oppressive that I couldn't bear to stay there doing nothing day after day. I applied to the Ministry to do any job they'd be willing to give me and I was surprised when Shacklebolt requested a meeting with me in regards to the Defence Branch of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Hermione watched him, feeling incredibly foolish for not even knowing what position he held at the ministry.

"When I wasn't working I inspected several places to live here in London and eventually bought the apartment I live in now. I sold off the Manor to the Greengrass family and moved out of there. I've been living in London since." Draco shrugged as though it was no big deal but Hermione found herself thinking that it had been incredibly brave of him to sell off his family home, especially since Malfoy Manor had been in his family for more generations that anyone could remember.

"What will your parents do when they are released?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco stared at her for a moment, a little frown creasing his brow.

"They aren't going to be released Hermione. They harboured the Dark Lord in the Manor and sat on so many other crimes that it was painful to have to listen to them all being read out at their trials. It was argued by many that they both be given the Dementor's Kiss, but the Wizenagamot was lenient because of Harry arguing for Mum having helped him during the war, and for me doing so as well…. But they'll never be released. They were sentenced to life in Azakaban."

"Oh Draco" Hermione whispered, wondering how he could bear the knowledge of never seeing either of his parents again. From what she had known of him in school even though his parents had some twisted ideals they had loved their son very much.

"There is nothing to be done for it I'm afraid. And Father made it worse for himself when he lied to the courts so ensure my freedom. He told them that he'd put me under the Imperius curse when I took the Mark. I would've been let off because I was only sixteen anyway, but he wanted to make sure. I tried to set them straight but they were very set on hating him."

"How can you stand it and speak about it so calmly Draco?" Hermione asked him, feeling awed by the control he exercised over any emotions he was feeling.

"I constantly remind myself that there is nothing that can be done about it. If not for my parent's loyalty to the Dark Lord, and as a result their harbouring of him in the Manor and enabling of his continued freedom, many innocent lives would have been spared."

Hermione felt herself swallow hard to hear him admit that and she wondered how he could possibly be so strong.

"I've been meaning to apologise to you actually Hermione" Draco continued "I'm sorry for the way I treated you while we were at Hogwarts and I'm sorry for the way I just stood there and did nothing while Bellatrix…. I did what I could to keep Harry from being found out, and I wanted to help you…. I just couldn't think of anything."

"You don't need to apologise Draco" Hermione said quietly, glancing down at her hands in her lap and catching sight of the bracelet he had given her. "It was a long time ago and at the time we were all doing what we thought was the right thing. You didn't have an easy situation, and what you did to help us when we were brought to the Manor was what allowed Harry to win the war. If you hadn't done what you did, none of that would have happened and we sure as Merlin wouldn't be sitting here sipping wine together…. By now we'd probably both be dead or wishing we were."

"Just the same. I was rotten to you at school. After the war was over and my parents were locked up I began to realise just how foul I had been to you. Maybe on some weird psychological level it was my childish schoolyard way of getting your attention. Maybe I secretly fancied you the whole time" Draco grinned at her, an amused twinkle in his eye at the thought.

Hermione giggled.

"I did hear some Ravenclaw girl from our year whisper that one day in second year actually, when you were being foul and picking duels with Harry, Ron and I after charms one day."

"Really?" Draco exclaimed, his pale cheeks turning a light shade of pink at the idea "Blimey."

"Who'd have known that years into the future you'd be taking me out for dinner huh?" Hermione smirked at him.

"I could've saved us all a lot of bother if I'd realised it sooner" Draco smiled. Hermione laughed.

"Even if you had, you wouldn't have worked up the nerve to admit it for so many years that it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

Draco laughed at her playfulness and Hermione felt the butterflies in her tummy flutter at the sound.

Soon after, the waitress brought out there dinner and Hermione learned a great many things about the new version of Draco Malfoy that she just knew were going to make her fall for him. He'd even shared his desert with her. She was pleasantly surprised by the way he kept doing and saying things that she would never have expected from him and found herself smiling and laughing more than she had in a long time.

It was as they were leaving the restaurant, Draco offering her his hand as they did so, that Hermione realised that she'd been a little lonelier than she'd recognised. After all, Harry had Ginny now, and vice versa. They both also had Teddy Lupin and their own son James to take care of, and Harry was busy in his job. Ginny had slowed down considerably since she had given up Quidditch playing in favour of sports journalism; but both Harry and Ginny rarely had time to do anything incredibly exciting with her.

Ron too was busy with his own life as an Auror and a husband to his lovely wife, Scarlett. She was a French witch that he'd met through Fleur and they were very happy together. So happy in fact that Hermione was just waiting to hear the announcement of the pair expecting their first child. Hermione already expected that Scarlett was pregnant since she had noticed the blonde witch not drinking at the Masquerade party.

And Hermione herself had been so busy with her own work that, according to Draco, she was like to snub anybody saying hello to her in lifts.

On some subconscious level Hermione had known that she threw herself into her work because her three best friends in the world were all shacked up, happily married and busy with their own careers. But as Draco led her out into the snow, laughing and joking with her, Hermione Granger began to realise just how lonely and one dimensional her life was. She still spent time with Ginny, Harry and Ron; that would never change, but she was realising very quickly that if it wasn't for her work she would probably be unhealthily alone.

"So, where to now?" Hermione found herself asking as Draco led her down the street, holding her hand clasped tightly in his and seeming to enjoyed the cold wind blowing through their clothing. She knew she was asking because the idea of going home and leaving his company so soon was practically unbearable.

"Oh, I know a little place" Draco grinned at her, smiling secretively.

When he led her down another side alley Hermione found herself wondering if it would be wrong of her to kiss him on their first date. After all it wouldn't be their first kiss. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing as he turned to face her and slowly pulled her towards him. Hermione let him draw her in, going easily into his embrace as he wrapped both arms around her slim frame and pressed her against his body.

He was warm amid the cold night air and snowy streets and Hermione found herself snuggling closer, burrowing her face into his chest and enjoyed the warm scent of him.

"Are you cold?" Hermione heard him murmur, his hands rubbing against her back, warming her even more.

"Not anymore" Hermione sighed, feeling strangely content.

"I guess this rules out what I had planned then" Draco said and Hermione lifted her head off his chest to look at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well we can't have you walking around in the snow and where I wanted to take you is windy and even colder than here so I suppose that will have to wait for another day when you are dressed for being outside."

"So what will we do instead?" Hermione asked him, liking the way in felt to be snuggled up in his arms and definitely not liking the idea of the night ending just because she was a little cold.

"Something indoors. Let's go down to the theatre district and we'll see if there is anything on at the cinemas that you feel like watching" Draco smiled down at her adoringly, making Hermione blush.

"Ok" Hermione murmured, laying her head back on his chest and breathing in the scent of his cologne. She giggled when she realised he had apparated them again while she wasn't paying attention.

"I think that from now on whenever I need to go somewhere and I have to apparate to get there, I'm going to have to contact you and have you take me instead. I like it when you do it" Hermione told him without letting go of him wherever they were now.

"I wouldn't mind love" Draco replied, pressing her closer against his body. Hermione sighed contentedly, wondering if hugging had always felt this wonderful and she had just not noticed before or if Draco Malfoy was just perfect at hugging her.

"You say that now" Hermione mumbled into his scarf, making him laugh again.

"I'll probably be saying it for the rest of time" Draco told her, cuddling her even closer and making her heart give a happy little squeeze even before he added "After all, the rest of time is only the beginning of how long I intend to keep you."

  


 


	4. Finding Room

**Chapter 4: Finding Room**

* * *

 

"Hermione, can I please tell Harry about this?" Ginny whined at her. The pregnant red-head had been in her office most of her morning. Hermione had foolishly let it slip that she'd gone on a date with Draco last night and Ginny had been grilling her about it ever since.

The idea of Hermione being taken on a date to dinner and a movie seemed to utterly fascinate Ginny, especially since it was Malfoy who was taking her out. Ginny had even laughed when Hermione had sneakily tried to ask if she was some kind of snobby mess who showed up for work poorly dressed, bumping into things and ignoring everything around her. She'd been mortified to have Ginny confirm Malfoy's accusations and vowed that from now on she would pay more attention to her surroundings, even when she was caught up in a job.

"What do you want to tell Harry for?" Hermione asked her friend "I went on one date. One. It's not as though he got down on one knee and begged me to marry him or something crazy. We just got dinner and saw a movie."

"Yeah, and he's been buying you gifts every day for the past Merlin knows how long with the hot chocolates and things. Not to mention the Christmas loot. And the snogging. You know Harry will be hurt if we don't tell him."

Hermione scowled at the red-head. It was probably true. Harry was more than likely to be offended that he hadn't been told already, let alone that Hermione was considering keeping it to herself for a bit longer. It wasn't that she was ashamed to have gone on a date with Draco or anything. She just didn't want to ruin the bliss by having Harry know because he would tell Ron and then they would both grill her even worse than Ginny was but instead of being accepting of whoever Hermione decided to date, as Ginny had managed to do so far, she just knew they would throw a tantrum about her dating the man who had been their schoolyard rival and who had been incredibly cruel to them and to her especially while they were all at Hogwarts.

"Not yet. I know he'll get his wand in a knot about it, but I don't want them charging in here lecturing me about this. You know they'll say or do something to talk me out of it and I don't want to be talked out of it."

"Merlin you have got it so bad already and you've only been seeing the bloke for two days" Ginny said excitedly.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione said, trying not to blush.

"All I can say is he must be the best kisser in the world… unless you've only had bad kisses before now… because I've never seen you like this. Even when you were with Ron you weren't like this. I mean, I found you in here humming to yourself this morning. What is the world coming to when Hermione Granger is in her office humming to herself over a hot chocolate when there is a Werewolf Re-Registration Act being drafted that she needs to prevent. By the way, I don't know if I've ever complimented you for all the wonderful things you do for the magical world and especially for all the Magical creatures whose rights you battle for every single day."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, frowning now.

"Well, I mean, I knew you loved throwing yourself into your work, first at Hogwarts and now here, but I was looking into something last night and I realised just how much you've accomplished in the way of peace between wizards and the rest of the Magical creatures in our world. There are so many things you've achieved, so many things you've changed, laws you've abolished, Protection Acts you've instated… To be honest sometimes I'm a little envious of you."

"Envious? Ginny, why?" Hermione asked, baffled now "You had a professional Quiddtich career, and now have a wonderful job as Quiddtich reporter for the Prophet. You have a wonderful husband, two beautiful boys that you are raising wonderfully and a third one on the way. As far as living life in search of that perfect 'Happily Ever After' ending, you've got it."

"Because of all the good you do" Ginny admitted "I mean, Quidditch is great, I love playing and writing about it… but I'm not making anyone's life better because of it. I'm not doing something for the greater good or making the world a better place for all the magical beings in it. You are. I mean, you managed to convince the wizarding world that House elves, a species who have been the servants of wizards for more centuries than I know about, deserve the right to holidays and sick leave and maternity leave and decent wages and proper working and living conditions. You managed to convince the elves that they deserve it too, which I think might've been harder…. You improved the lives of werewolves all over Britain by drafting a law stating that the Ministry would form now on be in charge of ensuring every werewolf had access to the Wolfsbane potion and by drafting a Right to Work Act that means that they can't be discriminated against because of their condition."

Ginny paused to draw breath before taking a long drink from the cup of blended juice she'd brought in here this morning.

"Sometimes I'm very much aware of the fact that you've never stopped working to make the world a better place while I do nothing of any importance, is all."

"Oh Ginny" Hermione sighed "It's not really like that and you know it. I run around trying to improve the lives of creatures and beings, most of whom I have never and will never even meet. Every morning when you get out of bed you improve the lives of your three boys. I don't know Gin, for all that it looks like I might be doing great…. I sort of realised last night that if it weren't for the way I throw myself into my work my life would be pretty one dimensional."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked and Hermione grinned as the pregnant girl snuck her hand into the jar of cookies Hermione kept on her desk at all times. When she wasn't working Hermione was a fan of inventing new cookie recipes and since she loved baking but would get impossibly fat if she ate them all herself, she was always bringing them into work for her visitor's and the representatives from different races that she met.

"Well, you have Harry, Teddy and James. And another little baby on the way…. Ron's got Scarlett…. You all do your own thing. While I was out with Draco last night I realised how long it had been since I'd been on a date before last night…. Three years, Gin. Three years since I'd been on a date with anyone, and you know how the last one went." Hermione rolled her eyes at herself.

"Who was that with again?"

"Viktor" Hermione murmured "And the whole night all he did was reminisce about his Quidditch days. I don't even know why I let him take me back to his place but needless to say, that was a huge mistake."

"That's right" Ginny giggled "And even though you and Ron had been broken up forever and he was with Scarlett by then, he still got his broom out of joint thinking you'd had a thing for Krum since fourth year when you met him."

"I remember" Hermione said drily.

"You never did tell me how he was in bed" Ginny grinned, tormenting Hermione.

"That's because I didn't want to have to tell you about the fact that the only comparison I had to draw on was from when I was with Ron. I didn't think you'd want to hear about how Ron was between the sheets" Hermione told her friend.

"Oh ew! Hermione you can't say thing like that to me, you know my morning sickness has been playing up enough as it is!" Ginny groaned in disgust

"Well that's why I didn't tell you. But I guess he did ok. He always was somewhat of a physical being" Hermione grinned at her best friend.

Ginny began to laugh and was still laughing about it when Hermione looked up to see a particularly handsome man entering her office.

"Something funny?" Draco Malfoy asked, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Not in my opinion. Don't be alarmed, all the pregnancy hormones interfere with Ginny's brain capacity and her ability to calmly discuss sex with her best friend."

"You two have had sex?" Draco asked, looking intrigued.

Ginny choked on her laughter, stopping abruptly. Hermione pulled a face of revulsion.

"No! Merlin, what is wrong with you?" Hermione demanded.

"We were discussing the idea of Hermione shagging Viktor Krum, you twit!" Ginny said, making Hermione blush to have Draco know that since she had Viktor had managed to keep it very quiet, especially since they both had celebrity status and didn't want it splashed across the pages of the Prophet again.

She also blushed even pinker when she saw the jealous glint in Draco's eyes as they searched her face. Scowling at Ginny, Hermione wanted to kick her best friend since she knew Ginny had done it to make Draco jealous.

"And there goes your welcome in my office for the rest of the day" Hermione said snippily. Ginny sniggered.

"It's ok, I already got what I came for anyway," Ginny smirked as she hauled herself to her feet. "Oh, and Hermione… Bring Draco to dinner with us at our house on Sunday night ok? I'm sure Harry and Ron will just be delighted to have you visit."

Hermione groaned as her vindictive friend strode out of the office; burying her face in her hands to keep from meeting Draco's gaze.

"So you and Krum hooked up, huh?" Draco said, sounding amused. "I had a bet going with Goyle in fourth year about that."

"I got so much hate mail about all that bollocks you fed to Rita Skeeter over that." Hermione said without lifting her head.

He didn't say anything else though Hermione could hear his foot falls as he moved closer to her and she felt her heart rate pick up as he drew near enough that she could feel his body heat radiating against her arm.

"Why are you hiding from me?" Draco asked her softly.

"Because I'm embarrassed."

"Why?" Draco asked her. "The Krum thing? I already knew about that."

"Not just that…" Hermione mumbled.

"You're worried about the way Potty and Weasel are going to react when they find out that we're dating," Draco said matter-of-factly.

Hermione lifted her head to stare at him.

"You don't need to worry, love." Draco assured her with a reassuring smile that made her heart skip several beats in a row. "They need to know. I told you last night, I intend to win your heart and keep you forever. They'll have to get used to the idea of me and you, and I think going to dinner is a good way to get them used to me."

"You're just saying that because you like making them uncomfortable" Hermione accused.

"Guilty," Draco smirked, "But they're important to you, so we're going."

"Oh, and what if I don't want to bring you along?" Hermione asked him.

"Too bad. If you don't want to arrive there with me, I'll just have to meet you there now won't I?" Draco told her, raising his eyebrows challengingly even though he was still grinning.

"Manipulative little so and so," Hermione grumbled in defeat.

"I had fun with you last night," Draco told her, reminding Hermione of the wonderful time they'd had together. After dinner Draco had taken her to see a movie, graciously letting her choose which they would watch. He'd bought them both popcorn and had tickled Hermione out of line when she tried to slide in and pay for their tickets since he had paid for dinner.

He'd toyed with her hands while they watched, and had grinned at her knowingly when the couple on screen were having a tiff about something, choosing that particular moment to wrap his arm around her shoulders. Hermione almost blushed at the way she'd pushed up the armrest separating them so she could snuggle over, laying her cheek against his chest and listening to his heartbeat for the rest of the film.

When it had finished he'd told her they were going somewhere for supper and had bought them both hot chocolates. Hermione felt a little smile play on her face as she thought of the way he'd held her hand as he'd walked her home, choosing not to apparate since Hermione lived not far from the theatre district. She'd liked the way he discussed the film with her animatedly, letting her chatter about it and offering his opinion on it as well. She'd adored the way he'd actually watched and paid attention to it, rather than trying to snog her or grope her the way Ron would've done.

"So did I. Thank you for taking me," Hermione smiled at him.

"What are you doing tonight?" Draco asked her, grinning wickedly now.

Hermione felt herself quiver with excitement.

"You tell me," she said boldly.

"Coming on another date with me," Draco informed her, smiling now. "And this time when I tell you to dress warm, you're going to do it, since the place I want to take you tonight is going to be cold but will definitely be worth it."

"Where are you taking me?" Hermione asked him curiously.

"It's a surprise," Draco informed her, opting for a very serious face as though telling her would be the way to go about ruining the sacred art of surprises.

Hermione laughed at him.

"You're so beautiful when you do that," Draco told her softly, smiling that winning smile at her that was melting Hermione's heart.

"This from the person who could win every Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile award for the rest of time if he'd smile instead of smirking at people."

Draco just kept on smiling at her.

"I have something for you," he told her, digging his hand into the pocket of his suit, "But you have to close your eyes for a minute. I had to shrink it so you wouldn't see me carrying it in here."

"What did I say about buying me things?" Hermione demanded, outraged and yet secretly pleased.

"Deal with it, Granger. I like giving you things."

"You like making me feel bad because I still don't have anything for you. What do you even want for Christmas?"

This earned her a particularly wicked smirk that made Hermione blush because of the way her thoughts jumped to sinister things.

"You," Draco purred seductively and Hermione just knew that if he kept this up, that was exactly what he was going to get.

"Well then stop making me feel bad buying me things and not taking yours in return" Hermione said, aware of the fact that she was flirting with him and liking the way he smirked at her that way.

"Close your eyes, Hermione," Draco commanded, sounding amused.

"No. You're not giving me another gift until you let me give you one," Hermione said sternly, getting slowly to her feet and staring at him even as she used wandless, non-verbal magic to make the door to her office click closed. He was smirking at her so wickedly that all Hermione could think about was the way he'd kissed her underneath the mistletoe two nights ago and the fact that when he'd left her place after walking her home last night, he hadn't kissed her goodbye on the lips, but had instead pressed a very gentlemanly kiss to the back of her hand before disapparating with a soft pop.

"I said close your eyes, Hermione," Draco said sternly even though he couldn't even begin to command his face into a serious expression.

"Close your own" Hermione said uncooperatively. She gave a smirk of her own when he gave a long-suffering sigh before doing as she asked.

When he had his eyes closed, Hermione studied his handsome features for a moment, creeping forwards slowly. She brought her hand up to cup his cheek softly, so as not to startle him, and with butterflies swarming in her tummy Hermione rolled up onto he tip toes until she could press just a whisper of a kiss against his warm lips.

Merlin ,it felt good to kiss him. She could feel him smiling against her lips even as he kissed her back just as softly, their lips barely touching, brushing together in a way that was so innocent and sweet and yet so impossibly tantalizing that Hermione was ashamed of some of the thoughts that popped into her head. She felt his hands come to rest lightly on her hips and Hermione wanted to growl in frustration when she realised that by telling him she wanted to give him a kiss as his gift, he'd left her completely in charge of their kiss.

Meaning that if she wanted to stand there and kiss him so softly all day, he'd probably let her.

Hermione kept kissing him lightly, enjoying the way it drove her completely insane and enjoying the way his hands had begun to twitch on her waist as he fought the urge to pull her closer so he could kiss properly. Merlin she could do this forever, Hermione though to herself as she slowly slid her hand into his silky hair and leaned into the kiss just a little bit more, kissing his lips a little firmer, but still keeping her tongue away from his.

She was dying to lean into the kiss, to snog him until she couldn't even remember her own name, but Hermione had a plan. If he was really going to be giving her things all the time, bringing her presents every day, then she was going to punish him by tempering her kisses this way. She would tease him and keep things light.

Merlin knew that if she didn't she was going to be broom over wand in love with him before Christmas arrived in ten days time.

Wondering if she would have that kind of restraint, Hermione slowly pulled back from him, letting her hands slide down to rest intimately against his chest so she could gently push him away, especially since she could feel the subtle pressure in his hands on her waist, trying to pull her in so he could snog her soundly.

"So, where are you taking me tonight?" Hermione asked him, aware of the husky tone I her voice but unable to keep it out.

"It's a surprise," Draco responded just as huskily, his grey eyes dark with lust and fixed on her face even as he smiled softly. "Now close your eyes. It's my turn to give you your present."

Hermione watched him for a moment longer before letting her eyelids slide closed and waiting to see what he was going to give her today, secretly hoping that he'd been joking yesterday when he'd said something about turtledoves.

She felt him move away from her slightly and Hermione heard him mutter something, making her remember that he'd told her he had to shrink her gift to carry it in.

"Ok, beautiful" Draco Malfoy murmured to her softly, "You can open your eyes now."

When she did Hermione looked around, expecting to see him holding a gift out towards her and instead felt her eyebrows lift even as her mouth began to curl into a wide, delighted smile as she caught sight of the gift he'd placed on her desk.

"What do you think?" Draco murmured after a moment. "I was worrying about getting them for you. I know that it's been two years since your Crookshanks passed away….. and then I thought about just getting you one… But I read somewhere a long time ago that when buying kittens, always buy two because they are twice the fun and no more trouble."

Hermione was only half listening as she stared down at the pair of kittens chasing each other across her desk. One of them was black all over and abundantly fluffy with sharp green eyes. The other was smaller and ginger striped like Crookshanks had been though he was much less fluffy.

"You got me kittens?" Hermione murmured, reaching out and enjoying the way both kittens rushed towards her, mewling for her affections as they stroked themselves against her hand.

"Is that ok?" Draco asked her seriously, "I didn't want to be insensitive. I know you loved that pug-faced ball of fluff. I thought about getting you actual turtledoves, but I've always thought that keeping birds caged as pets is cruel. Then I remembered that you like cats; I thought maybe you'd like some new companions in your life."

Hermione found herself smiling wider when he winked at her for the double meaning in his words.

"I think I can find room for some new companions" Hermione murmured softly as one of the kittens ran up her arm and onto her shoulder, followed closely by the other.


	5. Free Falling

**Chapter 5: Free Falling**

* * *

 

_Christmas is a great time for extra hugs and cuddles. Love is the magic of Christmas._

* * *

 

Hermione glanced at Draco, trying to figure out if he was joking with her. He pretended not to notice while he stared at the array of muggles in ice skates, skating in circles to the tune of Christmas carols blared over a radio.

"Are you joking?" Hermione asked him, glancing furtively back at the skating people.

"Nope," Draco replied, and Hermione could tell he was smirking.

"You know I'm a clutz!" Hermione accused.

"No, you're not," Draco countered, turning to smile at her kindly, "You're just afraid."

Hermione narrowed her eyes on him.

"You're really going to take me ice skating?" she demanded. "Really? I'm the girl who walks into furniture and walls on my own two human feet. Does it really seem wise to strap bladed contraptions of death to me feet and unleash me on an icy platform where all of these poor, innocent people can be victims to my lack of poise?"

Draco laughed.

"You only walk into wall and things when you're distracted by your work, and since I see no textbooks or documents that you need to pour through, I think you'll be just fine." He smiled at her charmingly. "Do you really think I'd let you hurt yourself?"

Hermione stared at him for a moment, and she could tell that he would go to every length not to let her fall on her face. It made her feel a little bit better about the idea of skating.

"You couldn't have picked something I know how to do?" Hermione asked him.

"Well, I tried," Draco grinned at her. "But I've found that taking women on dates and then sitting reading with them in the same room is the type of thing one does when in a relationship for at least a few months, not during the 'getting to know you stage'" he teased.

"Ha, ha," Hermione said drily, pretending to laugh while giving him a droll stare.

"I assumed you would know how to skate. You grew up in London, where there are several ice rinks constructed every winter." He argued with her even as he took her hand, leading her towards the entry to the rink.

"I'm not really one for winter sports," Hermione told him. "Mostly due to the fact that we went to a school in the highlands of Scotland, a place where I only went outside to visit Hogsmeade, attend classes and watch Quidditch matches. And I only went to the games because Harry, Ron and Ginny would've been sad if I didn't since I'm not really that interested in the whole sport. The rest of the time it was so cold during winter inside the castle that I tried to avoid the outdoors when I could."

"And yet you spent so much time in the library, where it was freezing most of the time." Draco countered, looking amused.

"The library was only cold if you were in the wrong section, or anywhere too close to the entry because of the proximity to the drafty corridors. I always picked a nice place in the library by one of the many hearth fires so it was always nice and warm." Hermione argued.

Draco grinned at her as he handed over some money for their rink entry and skate hire before leading her over to one of the seat so they could both don their skates.

"This was such a bad idea," Hermione told him, wobbling as she got to her feet on the rubbery mat inside the room where her skates didn't even have the capability of sliding yet.

"No, it wasn't. Come on" Draco encouraged her, taking her hand and looking very at home in his ice skates. He stepped onto the ice still holding her hand and Hermione tightened her grip when she had no choice but to follow him. She felt a little tingle rush through her feet and up her legs at the sensation of having the ground move beneath her feet when her skates slid slowly across the ice.

"You need to pretend you slow motion running," Draco instructed her, his attention focused on her as Hermione wobbled precariously, having locked her legs straight and refusing to move beyond the way he was slowly tugging her along, skating backwards.

"It's like you want me to fall on my face," Hermione complained, feeling afraid of doing just that.

"And risk marring your extensive beauty?" Draco admonished with a shake of his head. "Never."

"You say that, but you're not even watching where you're going, and since you're leading me around, that seems dangerous."

Draco laughed at her logic.

"Mother used to love figure skating" Draco told her softly. "Every winter I was home I spent with her, out on a pond on the Manor grounds, skating from sun up until it got too dark or too cold to bother. I could skate rings around all of these muggles at high speed and pose no danger to them or to myself."

"There's that modesty again," Hermione teased him.

Draco shrugged but Hermione kind of like the way he smiled at her.

Eventually he managed to convince her how to do it properly and after what felt like hours Hermione slowly made her way around the whole rink, skating unassisted, though Draco hovered in front of her watching her like a hawk. Any time she began to wobble or looked like she might stumble or fall, his seeker-fast reflexes caught her, keeping her safe.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her after a little while, skating around the rink in circles with her, holding her hand.

"Yes," Hermione admitted.

"Want to go and get something to eat. There's food in those Christmas markets" he pointed outside the rink and down the river-front walk by the London Eye.

"How did you know I love market food?" Hermione asked him.

"Every year I hear you begging your friends to come to these markets with you," Draco told her, smiling.

"Another tidbit you picked up whilst stalking me, huh?" Hermione smirked.

"Maybe," he told her evasively.

Slowly they meandered through the markets, and Hermione marvelled at the way Draco smiled at her, encouraging her whenever she wanted to stop and look at something, buying her the dinner she wanted and seeming amused at the way she managed to drip sauce on her jacket whilst eating her steak sandwich.

"So," he began a while later, glancing down at her a smiling. "Have you thought of names for your new companions yet?"

Hermione grinned at him, thinking again of the sweet little kittens that had distracted her from her work all day today since she hadn't had time to take them home. When she wasn't playing with the pair of them, they played with each other and Hermione had laughed out loud when they began chasing each other across her desk, tipping over her ink pot and proceeding to play in it, leaving inky paw-prints all over several documents on her desk. It made her glad she always made copies.

"No," she admitted. "I tried to think of names, but it's not that easy. Crookshanks already had his name when I got him. I was thinking that I might have them around the house for a few days and see if any names come to mind. I read somewhere that one should always take pets home and get to know their personalities before naming them."

"That seems wise," Draco told her.

"Are you busy this Saturday?" Hermione asked him as they strolled the streets.

"I'm never busy, Hermione" Draco told her, giving her a soft smile and Hermione wondered again if his life was lonely.

"Well, we have that dinner with Ginny and the others at her place on Sunday, if you still want to go to it…" she said, watching him as he nodded, smirking at the reminder "But I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come to my place on Saturday night? I could cook us dinner and we could watch some telly or something…."

When he didn't answer straight away Hermione glanced up at him, her cheeks pink as she blushed. "Unless you're sick of me or you don't want to. You don't have to say yes, it was just a suggestion…"

"Hermione," Draco said softly, cutting off her rambling. When Hermione looked at his face he wore a soft smile and something glittered in his grey eyes that she'd not seen before. "I could never be sick of you. I'd love to come to your place on Saturday night. I was just pondering whether or not you would think it overkill if I were to suggest that you and I spend the day together on Saturday. I remember you saying a while back that you'd like to see that new exhibit at the Natural History museum. I thought maybe… if you still wanted to go, we could spend the day there. There's a Magical Natural History museum too… I know you spend most of your time dealing with magical creatures, but if you're interested we could…"

Hermione cut him off when she leaned up and pressed a sound kiss to his surprised lips.

"I'd love to" she whispered to him, smiling when she'd stopped snogging him.

His answering smile made Hermione's heart flutter happily.

"Are you sure you're really alright with coming to Harry and Ginny's place on Sunday?" Hermione asked him. "I haven't told Harry or Ron that I'm seeing you and they're not exactly rational when I spring things on them. Especially things Malfoy shaped."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy, Hermione," he smiled at her.

"I don't want to get rid of you. I just don't want them to scare you off…."

Draco snorted at the very idea.

"I spent years trying to talk myself out of fancying you, Hermione. Do you really think that those two gits are going to accomplish what a lifetime of brainwashing and my own conscience couldn't?"

"You don't want to fancy me?" Hermione asked in a small voice, her eyes widening as she peered up at him, feeling like he'd just punched her in the stomach.

"I didn't want to when I first realised that I actually fancied you" He told her. "And don't look at me like that, you know how I feel about you. But when I was eighteen I wasn't that thrilled to learn that everything about you seemed to intrigue and fascinate me. I'd spent my whole life until then being told and taught that you were everything I wasn't supposed to fancy, that I wasn't supposed to want. I was a disgraced Ex-Death Eater whose parents had both been locked up and I knew you hated me. I told myself all about all the reasons you would never be interested in me and about how you hated me and about what a scandal it would be for you – the golden girl of the famous Golden Trio – to leave your then boyfriend in favour of the git who'd treated you like shite and been on the wrong side in the war."

Draco frowned down at the hurt expression on Hermione's face as he paused to take a slow breath.

"At the time I loathed myself all the more for wanting to be with you; for somehow still thinking I even deserved to breathe the same air as you rather than skulking off never to be seen again. I had a particularly low opinion of myself and a rapidly expanding sense of worship for you…. So no, I did not want to fancy you at first because I hated myself for it and knew it would be nothing but a futile exercise in foolishness."

"And now?" Hermione whispered, her heart constricting in her chest as she caught a glimpse of just how different his life had been to hers in the immediate aftermath of the war.

"And now it's seven years later and I fancy you so much that I've outright stated the fact that I intend to win your heart and have you as the leading lady in my universe for the rest of my life and beyond," he told her, his grey eyes smiling softly now as she peered down at her, smiling widely and holding her hands where they pressed intimately against his chest in the middle of the crowd.

Hermione stared up at him, not knowing how to respond to his words because she was so lost in the flood of emotions choking her. As she looked into those silver flecked grey eyes, Hermione realised that he might not have said it, but he'd certainly implied that he was in love with her. She felt that increasingly-familiar flutter inside her chest. Her breath caught at the sight of his smile. And Hermione realised that while she'd been worried that she was teetering on the edge of the cliff; believing herself to be nervously peering over the edge into the swirling, emotional, terrifying abyss within which was the realm of True Love, her heart had already stepped off without a care.

As she felt a return smile tugging at the corners of her lips while she peered into the handsome face of Draco Malfoy, Hermione stepped in close and kissed him again, knowing that she didn't need to worry anymore. She was already plummeting head first into that abyss with the sweetest, most intoxicating feel of the free fall singing in her blood.


End file.
